New Delhi, April 13 -- We've been together for a few years, but I found out recently that my fiance was flirting with his female friends and the women he met during his travels," says MS, a 26-year-old management trainee from Chandigarh. Although there wasn't any physical infidelity, the emotional toll on MS has been immense. She says there's now a huge trust deficit between them.

What MS experienced is an example of micro-cheating, a relationship issue that is often perceived as less severe than physical infidelity, but can be equally damaging.

"Micro-cheating undermines the foundations of transparency and security in a relationship. The breach of trust can destabilise relational bonds and disrupt healthy communication patterns. Clinic...